


Blasphemer's Sanctum

by n1cretin



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 19th Century, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Apprentice Merlin, Arthur just being Arthur i guess, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, It's much more Merlin/Arthur than Morgana/Gwen, Just nice stuff, M/M, No Homophobia, No Racism, Slow Burn, So sorry if you were really looking forward to powers, but i couldn't find a good enough way to work them in, got u there its not even a modern day AU, some og characters but they're not important, stay for the Merthur tho?, they get a dog eventually!, tune in for that dog guys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:33:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28926600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/n1cretin/pseuds/n1cretin
Summary: Merlin, menace to society that he is, finds himself getting into too much trouble in the hustle, the bustle, and the imminent chaos of the streets of London where he has grown up. His mother sends him away to the dead-end village of Salbridge to be apprentice to Gaius. (This sounds like the plot of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). It's not really his scene, but what can you do? Fall for an arsehole of a man, that's what you can do.
Relationships: Gwen/Morgana (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	Blasphemer's Sanctum

**Author's Note:**

> If by some unlikely feat of magic I've actually hooked you with that God-awful summary, welcome! This is my escapism, maybe it can be yours too? 
> 
> Oh, and it's definitely not overly Victorian as the tags say, for example the dialogue is definitely not. Just me chatting my shit. All mistakes are mine babey :). I have read through every chapter multiple times, so if I've missed any mistakes it's just God's plan.

Early January in Salbridge was no joke. Not that it was ever a joke in London, but here? Not funny. Not even a little giggle. Merlin was leaning against a wooden fence post in the front garden of Gaius' little cottage, freezing his arse off. He had unpacked his belongings when he first arrived, wanting to settle in as quickly as possible to stave off the home-sickness that he knew was right around the corner, and he had acqainted himself with every tiny room in the house. Gaius has declined any help with making dinner, and with nothing else to do Merlin decided that he should get to know the exterior of the house as well as the interior.

He was quite conscious of what he was doing. He was picking out any menial task to distract himself from the fact that he was stuck in a tiny little village in the middle of, well, absolutely nowhere. He wasn't used to the fresh air or the noises of nature, and he sure as hell wasn't used to the bloody temperature. He shivered again, pulling his jacket tighter around himself. It would have been wise at that point to go back inside before he lost all feeling in his toes, but he felt a little less trapped out here. It wasn't that he didn't like living with Gaius. The man was perfectly fine. In fact, he had visited him here in his little home before, but it had never seemed so daunting when he knew that he was only to be here for a week or two. The problem was that he didn't belong here. His blood didn't thrum with energy, his senses weren't awakened at every opportunity. Oh well. Perhaps he would grow complacent with the quietude and slow-moving manner of life here. Perhaps he would grow to like it. Probably not.

It was only now that he started to regret stirring up so much trouble back at home. Honestly, it wasn't his fault. He seemed to be some type of magnet for bad luck. People just loved to get angry at him and pick a fight. His sharp tongue and quick wit may have had something to do with it, but people needed a good telling-off every now and then, didn't they? They must, because that's exactly what Merlin's little excursion to the countryside was. A telling-off. He was just about ready to start grumbling and huffing to himself when a steady rhythm of footsteps intrigued him. The gate that Merlin was leaning against looked out onto a brambly little lane, lined with wild and unruly hedges on either side. They were quite isolated from the centre of the village here, and there weren't many houses further out than they were. He furrowed his brow and listened closer. Peering down the lane would have been pointless; it was twilight now, and the world was nothing but a smudge of blue shadow and grey light. He wouldn't feasibly be able to see anything.

The fast beat of the steps was close now. He didn't even realise how close until someone came rushing past him and almost tripped over his outstretched foot. They gasped, likely as surprised by Merlin as he was by them, and then righted themselves. The figure before him was a man. He seemed like one of those boringly kind men who had never stepped a foot out of line in their life, with his blond hair and his straight, regal nose and his strong jaw. Merlin was about to murmur a polite greeting and perhaps an apology before going back inside when the man spoke. What he said was decidedly not 'boringly kind'.

"Who the hell are you?" The blond man snarled, looking Merlin up and down in the half-light. Merlin heard the pomp and self-importance in his tone, and was already prickling.

"Who the hell are _you_?" He replied with matching venom. 

"None of your bloody business. I asked you first," He crossed his arms and glared expectantly at Merlin. 

"How very mature of you."

"Shut up and answer my question." Merlin was brimming with annoyance, but he couldn't see a reason to deny the man's request.

"Merlin." God, he hoped his short answers were pissing this man off.

"What are you doing on Gaius' property, _Mer_ lin?" The egotism was bugging him. Who was this man, to think that he should know it all?

"Gaius? Who's Gaius?" The man narrowed his eyes and looked as if he was about to attempt to haul Merlin away in chains. 

"Right," he started, uncrossing his arms and readying himself.

"I was joking," Merlin deadpanned, glaring at the absolute imbecile in front of him. "He's my uncle. I'm staying with him as his apprentice, not that it's any of your business."

The man crossed his arms again, looking more unimpressed by the minute. "Don't think Gaius would approve of that attitude, Merlin." He hated the way the mystery man spat his name. He spoke as if he had some authority over Merlin, as if he was of some great relevance. By the looks of him, he wasn't even much older than Merlin himself. A few years at most.

"Again, what business is that of yours?"

"Business of a friend." Merlin scoffed and crossed his own arms, mirroring the stance of the other man.

"A friend? I don't think I'd be friends with the likes of you."

"Not you, you blithering idiot. A friend of Gaius'."

"Right. Well," Merlin shifted his weight a little bit. "I'll have to have a chat with Gaius about his choice in friends. No accounting for taste."

"Listen Merlin, if you are Gaius' nephew, as you say you are-"

"I am."

"-then that means you've been here for what? A few hours? A day maybe? I didn't see you when I came this way earlier, so I'm going to assume that it's the former. You're not doing yourself any good by arguing with the first person you see-" Merlin was exasperated, and was about to give a bitter retort when he was shushed. Actually shushed. The sheer audacity of the man before him silenced him. "As I was saying, arguing with the first local you see isn't going to do you any good. You know no one here. You know nothing of the people, of their manners, of how they would have tolerated your insolence. Not to mention the fact that you're an apprentice of a healer. Aren't you meant to have great bed-side manners?"

"Well you're not in a bloody bed, are you?"

"That's not the point. Speak like that to the wrong person and you have no chance."

"Oh, and you're the right person are you?"

"Could have been worse."

"Doubtful. Who even are you?" Merlin was desperately hoping to take him down a peg or two,

"Arthur Pendragon," he stated, as if that would clear anything up. At least he now had a name to put to the stupid face. Arthur put a hand out to shake Merlin's, and Merlin habitually flinched away. At this point in London he would have been on the floor with a lovely constellation of new bruises lining his ribs. 

"Oh, my apologies," Merlin mocked, making a move to bow down. He was trying to distract Arthur from the fact that he had actually just flinched. There was no way he was going to shake the man's hand. "If only I had known."

"I change my mind. I hope you run your mouth to the wrong person so they can teach you a lesson or two before I do it myself."

"Shaking in my boots, Arthur." He looked as if he was about ready to cuff Merlin round the ear and call it a day. Instead, he huffed and turned to continue his journey up the lane, clearly done with him. Merlin stood and watched him walk away before he turned, too, and began to head back to the house. Maybe it wouldn't be so dull in this village after all. This Arthur seemed to be fun to wind up, and he only felt a little bad for instantly attacking the man. He probably wouldn't have done it in the city. He may have tried to actually make a good impression rather than get himself into some sort of altercation, but he was in a terrible mood and he had to take it out on something. 

The hearty aroma of stew hit him as soon as he walked through the door, and he found that he was glad to have a hot meal on such a cold evening. He was thinking about finding some thicker clothes to wear through these winter months when Gaius spoke.

"Who was that?" He asked, not looking up from the pot bubbling on the stove.

"What?"

"Who were you speaking to outside?"

"Oh. He said his name was Arthur."

"Ah," Gaius nodded, as if he suddenly understood something.

"Who is he? Must be someone important to be that... precocious."

"I'd say more respected than important, though they're often on par. He's become something of a benefactor to the entire village in his time here."

Merlin picked a piece of bread from the bowl on the table and took a bite. "Hm." The first word that came to mind when he thought of Arthur was definitely not benefactor.

"He the richest man in the village by quite a considerable amount, I should think. He owns the Manor house just up the road, you must have seen it coming in."

"Yeah, I saw a bit of it," Merlin murmured, as if he hadn't ogled at it. He had never actually seen the house before his journey today, as he usually rode into Salbridge from a different direction. He had been sure that everything about the place was obscure and plain, but that one Manor house proved him wrong. Of course it had to belong to the Arthur. 

"It'd be best if you didn't get on the wrong side of him," Gaius warned. Merlin glanced up to where Gaius was staring down at him with one conspicuously raised eyebrow. The idea that Arthur was actually dangerous in any way intrigued him. He leaned forward to listen more carefully. "He wouldn't do you any harm, but he's held in very high regards by everyone here. Crossing him would mean crossing everyone, and that would result in a very lonely stay here for you."

"I don't see how he's so liked by everyone. He seemed a right-" Gaius raised the brow once more, prohibiting him from what he wanted to say. "What I mean to say is that he didn't seem to be all that pleasant."

"Nobody else has a problem with him, Merlin. You had better warm up to him quickly if you'd like your time here to be tolerable. I'd advise that you watch the tongue that landed you here in the first place." Gaius placed a bowl of stew before him and sat down on the opposite side of the sturdy wooden table. Merlin traced the knots in the wood with his fingertips as he waited for the stew to cool a bit. Surely a man such as Arthur didn't have such an influence that he could make Merlin's stay here a living hell. How did people even like him? He seemed surly and disagreeable. Maybe he had a reign of terror over the people rather than a reign of benevolence, but then again he didn't seem like a very violent person. Merlin would be in a very different state at that moment if he was.

Merlin washed the dishes and locked up that night before heading to bed himself. He had been given the little box room above the kitchen that had obviously been used for storage prior to Merlin's arrival. As he lay in his narrow bed that night, he thought about home, and the calm that he had found in chaos that he loved so much. There was no chaos here, and he was sure that he would be bored into complacency and submission. He also thought about Arthur, about the Manor house at the end of the lane, of his brash and arrogant demeanour. He fell asleep with anticipation of driving Arthur mad on his mind. 


End file.
